THE ARGVMENT
OF THE BOOK
OF IOB.
Li. 18. c. 47. ciuit. conc. 2. de Lazar. Rom. 9. Præfat. in Iob.Iob of the race of Esau.HOlie Iob otherwise called Iobab (Gen. 36.) as S. Augustin, S. Chrisostom, S. Ambrose, S. Gregorie, and other fathers teach, the sonne of Zara, the sonne of Rahuel, the sonne of Esau, was King (or absolute Prince) of the land of Hus. Why God suffered him to be so afflicted.
The contentes according to the historie.Who being perfect in religion, sincere in life, rich in wealth, and blessed with children, for an admirable example of patience, and to shew that a mortal man through Gods grace, may resist al the diuels tentations, by Gods permission, sudainly lost al his goods and children, was strucken with horrible sores in al his bodie, reuiled by his wife, and in stead of comfort which his special freinds pretented towards him, was iniuriously charged by them, with impatience, arrogancie, blasphemie, and other crimes, for which they falsly supposed he was so afflicted, affirming, and by diuers sophistical arguments, grounded as they pretended vpon Gods iustice, wisedome, power, mercie, and goodnes, would proue that God suffereth none but wicked men to be so afflicted. But Iob constantly defendeth his owne iust innocencie, and that worldlie calamities and prosperitie happen indifferently to good and bad in this life, and that the true reward of the iust, & punishment of the wicked, is to be expected in the other world. At last God, with due reprehension of Iob for some imperfections, sharply rebuketh the errours, and insolencie of his aduerse freinds, giueth sentence on Iobs side; pardoneth them at his intercession, and restoreth al things to him double to that he had before.
Præfat.Iob an especial figure of Christ.Besides the literal sense, Iob in al his actions, sufferings, and whole life, was a special figure of Christ, shewing (sayth S. Gregorie) by those things which he did and susteyned, what our Redeemer should doe and suffer: yea more particularly then most part of the Patriarchs, which S. Ierome (epist. ad Paulin.) also admireth, and testifieth, saying: what mysteries of Christ doth not this booke comprehend? Euerie word is ful of sense. Moral documents in this book.Moreouer this historie is replenished with moral documents, how to embrace vertue, and eschew vice: proposing the life of a right godlie man, neither insolent in prosperitie, nor despairing in aduersitie, alwayes resolute in Gods seruice, as wel in his prosperous Kingdom as in the miserable dunghil. True logike & Philosophie.Here also we haue the true manner of arguing, according to the rules of Logike, with detection of sophistrie, Iob prouing and disprouing assertions by proposition, assumption, and conclusion, as S. Ierom obserueth, with profound knowlege of natural things
